four man army
by Younger Dr. Grey
Summary: Elijah returns to Mystic Falls after the decade dance to protect Elena. Instead, he winds up with Elena, Klaus, and Rebekah on the ultimate hybrid making road trip, which would be a lot easier if they actually liked each other. Elejah. Klebekah.
1. one

**title:** four man army  
**chapters:** 1 of ?  
**fandom:** _vampire diaries  
_**character/pairing:** elijah/elena, klaus/rebekah  
**rating:** t  
**word count:** 4881  
**summary:** Elijah returns to Mystic Falls after the decade dance to protect Elena. Instead, he winds up with Elena, Klaus, and Rebekah on the ultimate hybrid making road trip, which would be a lot easier if they actually liked each other. Elejah. Klebekah.

**author's note:** Right after "Do Not Go Gentle" aired, I got this idea. Now, I'm writing it. It's Elejah and Klebekah. Don't like, don't read. There are hints to other couples involving these characters. Other characters will be coming in and out. No matter what, those two pairings are endgame.

* * *

_one_

* * *

Elijah has a tendency to not so much roll into town but to appear in a sudden storm of chaos. Damon calls it 'good timing'; Elijah calls it 'saving their ass.' Asses. The whole lot of them, from the Bennett witch all the way through to his very own brothers and sister. Klaus doesn't say so much as a hello, but that's to be expected when he's in one of his moods. In fact, Klaus doesn't leave his room after Elijah gets home. He takes one look at his brother and disappears. The short interaction leaves the home feeling as cold as their skin, until Rebekah comes bounding in to fill him in on all of the details of the past few weeks.

At the end of her story, Elijah clears his throat and says, "Let me get this straight - you found the white oak, destroyed it, found out that there was more, and told Kol?" He gives her a look, a mocking, you-poor-poor-thing sort of look that makes Rebekah roll her eyes at him.

"It was Nik's idea not to involve you," Rebekah says.

"Look how well that turned out," Elijah deadpans. He rises then from the couch in their living room. He swipes his hands down his jacket and informs his sister that he'll be seeing Elena now. To which, Rebekah rolls her eyes a second time and calls him pathetic. He offers her a shrug, reasoning, "I've been mature long enough. I've surely earned a few... moron minutes."

Rebekah laughs at that. "At least you admit what a fool she makes of you." She means it as a joke on him. He hears it as a sad reflection of herself. Of the fool that a certain someone makes of Rebekah. He doesn't comment on it, not when he practically has her blessing to talk to her nemesis.

He gives a small, non-confirming grin. Then he tells her, "I'm glad you are safe," and leaves as smoothly as he entered.

...

In contrast, Rebekah blunders into situations. She goes in whole heartedly and somehow manages to turn all of that strength against herself and take down everyone around her in the process. Re: the whole Stefan Salvatore in the 1920s situation. Or the decade dance. Or their entire time with their mother in the current century. It's not Rebekah's fault, per se; she just has no control over how poorly everything will turn out. No matter how strongly she likes to believe the opposite.

Nik's kind of to blame. For everything. If he weren't so judgmental and paranoid and homicidal, her life would have turned out much differently. She tells him as much from outside of his door. Tells him that hiding away inside of his fortress won't change the fact that he spent the night yelling himself hoarse at the corpse of their mother.

He tells her, quite politely (and croakily), to go the hell away and leave him to plot in peace.

"Plot what, Nik? How to kill Esther yet again? How to get Caroline to love you? How to -"

His door swings open, and he's there in all of his brooding, infuriated glory. "Enough, Rebekah!" he roars. He grimaces immediately after yelling, which only makes Rebekah smirk.

"Told you," she gloats before walking around him into his room. She takes the moment of distraction to really observe her surroundings. He doesn't let people in to his room often despite his open arms policy with the family.

The walls of his room are a dark green, kind of like the dense color of the trees in the forests - before all of the modern day humans hacked them down to eventually be turned into half sheets for their ridiculous vocabulary quizzes. (Oh, the fun of high school.) The floors are polished wood, much like the rest of the home. But there's a lot more space in his room than in others. He's dedicated part of it to pictures. No, paintings, she realizes. Very, very well done paintings of their family.

She spots herself in the present day, hair blowing in the wind on the football field of Mystic High. There's Elijah from before their fight over Katerina. Kol in the same ridiculous get up he was daggered in. Finn on the day he met Sage and turned into a blubbering mess. And last but certainly not least, there's Henrick, smiling and happy, with the ghost of shadows from the pain he would soon face. She glances back at all of the other pictures, looks closely. Each of them has a slight ghosting of color at what would kill them. The daggers through their hearts, some with holes bigger than others.

Curiously, Rebekah asks, "Exactly how many times have you daggered Elijah?"

Nik shrugs. "I've lost count. Maybe you should ask him." Nik moves around Rebekah back to his bed. He drops onto the mattress with a groan. She stays where she is. He pretends to ignore her. She pretends not to be bothered by it.

After a moment or two, she stops pretending. She says, "Give up, Nik. You want me here. You want Elijah here. You don't want to do this alone again."

"I won't be alone," he answers easily.

Her eyes scrape the ceiling. "Right, because you'll have your silly, little hybrids."

He shakes his head. "No, because I'll have the doppelganger."

Rebekah's eyes narrow. "Elena?"

He scoffs, brings his pillow up over his head while mumbling, "No, Katerina. Tatia too. We'll have a bloody Petrova party." Rebekah rushes to him and smashes the pillow forcefully into his face. He pushes away from her grasp, sputtering and glaring. He snaps, "Of course, Elena, how else am I to make an army?"

So her brother really does plan to go to war. That means travel. Lots of it. With Elena. Alone. She blurts, "Elijah would never go for that."

Klaus meets her eye. "It's a good thing I don't care what Elijah thinks then. I do what I have to do. I always have."

"Look how well that turned out," Rebekah retorts. Klaus's eyes flare, and she realizes just how nice it is to be the aggressor for once. Maybe that's why Elijah is only around long enough to fix their problems; it means he gets to say whatever he wants and everyone loves him for it. Even Nik, no matter what he says.

He sits up in his bed and points a finger out angrily at her. "If you mess up my plan, so help me, Rebekah, I will tie you up and make sure you don't mess up anything ever again."

"Tie me up? I'm not really into that sort of thing. Not unless I'm doing the tying." She chuckles a bit while Klaus groans.

"Don't you have a clean up committee or something?"

Yes. It starts in ten minutes, but she's not exactly in the mood for fixing up after a dance she couldn't even attend. "Not going. I'm going to cheer you up. Now come on. We're leaving your room."

"And going _where_?" he asks.

Her response is simply a grin.

...

The same sort pops up on Elena's face a few miles away. The doppelganger has her left hand on the door knob and her right hanging somewhere between her body and Elijah's. Neither of them make a move to do or say anything. They just sort of smile at each other. It would be sickening were anyone around to see it. Which there isn't since Jeremy's off at the Grill and Alaric is, well, dead.

Elena finds it hard to think it. Alaric is definitely one of the toughest, bravest, most messed up guys she's ever met. He could handle anything. She thought he could handle anything. Fast forward a few years and more than a few dead loved ones and Elena's in an empty house, making goo-goo eyes at an original. Well, not goo-goo eyes. They're more of I'm-so-glad-you-came-back-and-are-over-feeling-guilty-for-nearly-killing-me-in-a-cave eyes.

"Elijah." She says his name on a whisper. She hears hers returned as easily, though she isn't one hundred percent sure that he even spoke. He doesn't need to. She knows what he's going to say. He'll apologize for hurting her, for taking off, for Alaric's death and his family's involvement in the matter. Then he'll reveal whatever reason he has for appearing on her doorstep. It'll be serious, and more than likely it will darken this little bit of happiness that's suddenly appeared in her life. She can't have that happening. She doesn't want to hear it now. Maybe in a few hours, but not yet.

She steps back, using her right hand to gesture him inside. "Come in. Please. "

He steps over the threshold and into the hall. He glances to the stairs out of habit. She wonders how exactly that became a thing when he can hear if anyone else is around. Common courtesy? Maybe he just needs something to do other than watch her shut the door behind him. Either way, he looks up and she seals them off away from the world. Once the lock clicks into place, Elena finds her grin broadening. It's just her and Elijah. Just a girl and her friend, her protector. He's really good at protecting her, and at calming her, and at just being there for her. She likes that. With him, it isn't about anything else. No ulterior motives, no grand romantic schemes, just two people living and hoping to do so for quite some time.

"Tea?" she offers. She doesn't wait for his answer, instead moving around him towards the kitchen. She hears him follow behind her, his steps perfectly in tune with her own. She walks to the cabinet where the tea is kept. The box is nearly empty. She'll have to have Ric - _no_, she'll have to go get more soon.

As if reading her mind, Elijah says, "My condolences. Alaric was a great man."

The sentence doesn't exactly cover it. Ric was more than great. He was the closest thing to a dad she had anymore. He helped her, not only in everything with Damon but in life. He got Jeremy back on the right track. He changed their lives.

"Yeah, he was."

And that's all Elena wants to say on the subject. She fills the kettle with water and sets it out to boil. As it does, she tries to distract Elijah from whatever it is that he wants to say. She tells him stories from his time away.

Tyler's back, and he and Klaus basically had a pissing contest over Caroline.

Jeremy's out getting more paint so they can finish Ric's room.

Bonnie seems to finally be opening up again, or she did before last night when everything went all crazy.

Oh, and they talked to Rose who seems to be doing great. Though, she must have said something to Jeremy because he's stopped giving her the judgmental eyes he had right after they first picked him up.

"You did not pick him up alone?" Elijah asks. Elena shakes her head as blood slowly starts to pool in her cheeks.

"Nope. Damon went with me." And then she kissed Damon. A lot. Until Jeremy woke up and saw them and made everything really awkward. Not that things between Jeremy and Damon had ever not been awkward. Jeremy's basically hated Damon from the second they met. Add in the fact that Damon turned Vicki, the compulsion, the way he manipulated Elena, the time he killed Jeremy just because Elena turned him down, and just how big of a jerk Damon is half the time, and it's not exactly surprising that Jeremy isn't the biggest supporter of this new relationship.

Not that there is a relationship. It was a kiss. Well, multiple kisses. But she went to the dance with Stefan and had an amazing time with Stefan because she really loves him. Loves him and Damon. Her love life should not be this difficult.

Elijah gives a small grin over the rim of his cup. He says, "Ah, that would explain why Kol told me he broke his bat on Damon." He chuckles and then sobers. "But since we're speaking of my brothers, Niklaus -"

"Is fine," Elena interrupts. "He might be angry about the whole situation with your mom, but Ric won't be hurting anyone, especially not any of you."

Elijah sighs. "While that may be true, Niklaus is again on an army kick."

Army. Army meaning hybrid army. Fun. Elena says, "Alright. He'll take a little bit of blood and be on his way. I don't need a warning for that, Elijah." She says it with a smile, but the look on his face tells her not to be so sure. It tells her that this problem is far from over. Gosh, when is anything ever over in this town?

He explains, "Niklaus doesn't want a few hybrids, Elena. He wants hybrids in every town, in every state, in this country, and as many other places as he cares to go. He wants an army so large that no one will ever dare challenge him."

But how can he get an army that big? That would require years of traveling and hunting down packs and each pack will require some of her blood and - _oh._ Oh. "No." Her eyes fly up to Elijah's as her head shakes from side to side. "No. I can't go with Klaus. He can't take me. That's not okay. Alaric is dead! I can't leave. Jeremy can't - Jeremy would be alone. Damon and Stefan would never let it happen."

Elijah sets his tea down and says, "Then they will die trying to stop it. It's best to simply go along with it." She opens her mouth to protest. How does he think she can go along with this? This is crazy! "But, you will not have to do so alone. If my brother intends to take you, I will join you both. I will keep you safe, Elena."

This weird sort of sound escapes her. It's somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, and it really just makes her want to curl up and hit the rewind button to back before she met any of these guys. She just needs to work her mind around this. Around leaving. Well, it's not exactly leaving, that would be voluntary. This would be kidnapping. Evil hybrid kidnapping to make more evil hybrids to fight the ghost mother of all vampires. Elena stands up. She needs something stronger than tea. Way, way stronger.

...

"Scotch, and make it a double," Rebekah orders before turning back to her brother. Nik is still moping, but at least now he's moping at the bar. Much better. Now, if she could only convince him to actually do something-

"Rebekah, I can hear you thinking over the pounding in my skull. Relax," Nik says.

The simple joke brings her back to thoughts of Sage and Damon, to feeling violated and used and cheap. That's all she is, isn't she? All she's ever been? Someone to be used by others. Even now, she's being used. She's offering herself up as Nik's little punching bag or cheerleader or whatever it is he needs to get back to his normal self and calm down. She really is pathetic sometimes. Most times. All of the time.

She pushes that away from her mind and forces a carefree smile onto her face. She sends Nik that and the simple deal of "I will if you will. Come on, Nik, an army? We both know that's not a good idea. You tried running one during the Civil War. It didn't work out well."

Nik's grimace gets a bit darker. "That was different, Rebekah. Then, I wanted bloodshed. Now, I just want Esther to wish she had never been reborn. Again."

Nik really is the poster child for Mommy issues. He's never been able to focus on anything other than proving himself thanks to everything with their parents. Even now, he's in a bar with dozens of people all around him and he's talking about his mother. Their mother. Their evil, vampire hating, absolute hunter creating, body stealing bitch of a mother. That is another wound that is a little too fresh to be picked open.

Rebekah catches the bartender's eye and makes a wave for another drink to be made. Nik isn't the only one who needs one now. She might need more than one. Or two. She turns on her stool and catches sight of Matt a bit away. They almost make eye contact so she turns again. She keeps her gaze firmly on the cool surface of the bar. Until Nik starts laughing, then she glares at her brother instead.

His eyes are a bit brighter when he says, "I really thought you to be better than this. He's a human, and the doppelganger's leftovers. Isn't there anyone more suitable for you in this town?"

Right, because there are just so many guys interested in her. It's not like having him for a brother is the world's largest deterrent for attention. He's not in a position to talk about her relationships. His longest relationship is with breaking his stupid hybrid curse. He ruins everything else, not only for himself but for her. She and Stefan could have been happy, but no he wanted to take off and run into the sunset away from Mikael. Then there's the fact that Damon uses her to find out ways to kill him. And Matt, who is just terrified of what they bring into his life and won't do more than talk to her on occasion, and even then it feels like he's mostly doing it out of pity since no one else will go near her. And don't even get her started on the subject of Nik himself.

She huffs, "You're an ass, Nik."

He chuckles and grabs at his drink as it slides in front of him. "And yet, you can't stay away from me." He takes a swig and peers at her out of the corner of his eye. He asks, "So what does that say about you?"

Rather than answering, Rebekah tosses back her drink.

...

Elena's drinking straight from the bottle. She'd get a glass, but that would require a bit too much thought. She can't spare any brain cells right now. She can't... She just can't anything but drink. She likes to drink.

Elijah clears his throat. She glances up from the counter to the table where he's still waiting on her.

He says, "You might want to slow down a bit."

She laughs a watery laugh. "If I slow down, then I might start crying. I'm not really ready to cry, Elijah. Just like I'm not ready to be whisked around the country by Klaus, or be in charge of raising Jeremy, or going to college, which I guess isn't really an issue anymore, is it?"

She got accepted into college. She hasn't told anyone because there's been so much else going on, but she got in to San Francisco State University. She only really applied to schools that were far away. She didn't think she'd actually go so why not try for the dream? A place where none of this stuff matters, where none of it could reach her, where she could be normal. Okay, the waterworks are starting. She feels it. She squeezes her eyes tight.

Elijah says, "It could be. Perhaps a study abroad program."

She laughs again, still watery but a bit less broken. "Right, I'll get on that." She glances down at the bottle and then up at him. She crosses over to the table and asks, "Can I say no? Is it possible that there's some way that I can say no to Klaus and not go?"

His lips purse. It almost looks like he's considering it, but his eyes say the answer she already knows he's about to voice. He sighs. "Not if you want your friends unharmed. You can postpone it a bit. Give your goodbyes, but you cannot refuse to join Niklaus. He will do whatever it takes to get you on his side. You know that, Elena."

She does. She sits down into her chair. Feels the tears a little stronger. She whispers, "I don't think I can handle this."

Elijah watches her a moment, seems to weigh his options, and then one of his hands comes to cover hers. It's warm, too warm for someone who's supposed to be dead, too soft for someone who should be against her, too comforting. Too everything. It's all just too much. Yet, she flips her hand over so she can squeeze his hand back.

...

_I have died every day waiting for you,  
__Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you  
__For a thousand years,  
__I'll love you for a thousand more._

Rebekah groans at the music, dropping her head onto the bar. She almost wishes she was human just to feel the cool of the stone against her forehead. It'd be nice to feel something other than self-hatred swallowing her up. She's an idiot.

"I'm starting to see the novelty of this place," Nik says. He's actually fully seated upright with a grin on his face by this point. She'd applaud her success if she didn't sense some sort of awful comment to follow. "The sheer number of mindless, pathetic humans here makes it worth the trip. I mean, I've been to a lot of pubs, but this one, where the teenagers simply stroll up and get drinks without even needing a card, well, that's why this place is in business. That why you like it, Bekah? Or is it the staff that keeps you coming back?"

She barks, "Sod off, Nik. Let it go. I'm not having this conversation with you."

"You wanted to talk. I'm talking now."

"Well, I'm not." She pushes herself up from her stool. He reaches out to stop her but she yanks her arm away. The force of the pull sends her tumbling back a bit, right into Matt's arms. She stiffens at the feel of them around her. This is just her luck. So freaking perfect.

"Hey, you okay?" Matt asks, and there's this kindness in his eyes, this protective worry that makes her feel even worse about herself. It's almost like he cares about her, but no matter how much he cares, he will never be with her. No one will. No one will love her the way that she needs to be loved because no one can. No one even seems to want to.

"No, I'm not," she answers. She starts walking away again and stops to look at Nik. She tells him, "Don't follow me, Nik. You win. We won't talk anymore."

"But I'm so curious! I care so much about you!" He calls after her. She'd throw back a 'bite me' but that response has lost its potency over the last thousand years. Besides, the only person doing any biting today will be Rebekah herself, and boy is she dying to do it.

...

"They're gonna kill me," Elena announces. She's traded the bottle for her cell phone. Damon's contact is open, waiting. She hits the lock button on her phone. She's not ready. She can't tell them. She knows exactly how it will go.

When she tells Damon, he'll fly off the handle. He'll call her an idiot and say they can't trust Klaus, or Elijah. He'll curse Stefan for giving back the white oak stakes and even talk about going to get the fancy one from Ric's tomb. He'll say he doesn't care if he dies so long as she's safe. And then he'd come over and try to fight Elijah even though he isn't the problem.

When she tells Stefan, he'll ask her why she doesn't just stay and fight. Klaus can't exactly take her without killing all of them. They'll do anything to save her. Blah blah blah. She'll say she has to go, and he'll agree but secretly go along with whatever crazy plan Damon has to undermine the whole thing and kill Klaus, which again means that they all die and she's left in a land without vampires. Well, most of them anyway.

Elena groans.

Elijah says, "I would never allow anyone to hurt you."

That's not possible. Maybe he can stop people from punching her or biting her, but how can he stop them from hurting her if it's emotional? Or mental? Not being around her family hurts her. Is he going to bring them all with her to stop that? Television shows hurt her. Is he going to change the writing and let the characters be happy? No, he's not. He can't protect her from everything. It's not his responsibility either. Exactly whose responsibility it is she can't decide yet. She doesn't want to decide yet.

She holds a little tighter to Elijah's hand, pulls comfort from it. She doesn't need to decide between Salvatores right now. She's got bigger problems to deal with. Like the sudden knocking at the door.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

It continues. Elena sighs and rises up. She drops Elijah's hand as she does so, but he still follows her to the door. It's not necessary. Bonnie or Caroline's probably at the door. Caroline most likely. Clean up committee is this morning so the blonde probably wants to rope Elena into spending the next few hours returning the gym to its normal disgusting shape.

Yeah, that's not happening.

Elena opens the door and -

"Rebekah?"

This blonde grimaces at simply the sound of her name. She looks beyond Elena to Elijah and says, "He wants his stupid hybrids. Let him have them. We can do what we please without him."

Elijah says, "Niklaus can not be left alone. You know that."

"I am so _sick_ of him, Elijah. He's awful. I do not know how I put up with him for so long and now I can't even handle one morning with him without wanting to rip his throat out."

Elena gulps at the phrasing. Both originals turn to her after that act. It kind of makes her regret the drinking. Buzzed vampire fighting is drunk vampire fighting, and that's just a really, really bad idea.

Rebekah meets Elena's gaze. Hers is impatient, flustered, and just a bit glassy. Rebekah says, "I didn't mean you, Elena. Though, I might if you don't get some manners and invite me in."

Elijah gives his sister a chastising look. Apparently he's the only one allowed to mention manners in their family. The honorable Elijah. So honorable that he doesn't even have to ask to be invited in time and time again. Meanwhile, Rebekah practically has to threaten her way in.

Elena hesitates before giving in. "Come inside, Rebekah."

"It's about time," Rebekah says. She crosses over the threshold and heads straight in towards the kitchen. Elena watches as she snatches up the discarded vodka and leans against the fridge. That explains the glassiness.

Elijah leans over Elena's shoulder and whispers, "Thank you."

Elena shrugs. "It's not a big deal." Elijah's eyes tell a different story. She gets the gist of it without having to truly think about it. She's accepting his family, which shows that her compassion knows no bounds, even in the face of turmoil. She's proving yet again that she's worth saving. And he's proving that he is too, from the little demons that plague him.

She wishes he were more open. She doesn't know much about him. He talks a lot about Rebekah and Klaus, but never enough about himself. She knows he doesn't like himself very much. He thinks he's no better than the rest of them. He knew Katherine and spent a lot more time with her than Klaus ever did. She's guessing he knew the original doppelganger too. But that's all it is, all she has, guesses. Well, if she winds up going, she might be able to get a few stories out of him. That's a plus.

"Hey!" Elena breaks eye contact to look at Rebekah. The blonde's got a judgmental face on, but she doesn't say anything about the little moment. She asks, "Where's Jeremy? Or Stefan? I'm surprised they let you out of their sight."

Why does everyone assume she needs a babysitter? "Jeremy's getting paint. Stefan's not here. He has his own house, Rebekah. So do you if you want to head over there."

Rebekah shakes her head. "No thanks. If I go home, Caroline might find me."

As if on cue, Elena's phone rings. She gets it from the table and nearly hits answer before she sees the name there. Alaric. All of those tears she thought she had pushed away and all of the mixed emotions started bubbling back up. This is not okay. She does hit answer and says, as calmly as she can, "Whoever this is, this isn't funny."

"And why would it be, Elena?" he asks. Ric asks. Ric. As in dead Ric, as in - _fuck_

* * *

_End of Chapter One. Thoughts?_


	2. two

**title:** four man army  
**chapters:** 2 of ∞  
**fandom:** _vampire diaries  
_**character/pairing:** elijah/elena, klaus/rebekah  
**rating:** t  
**word count:** 4053  
**summary:** semi-AU. Elijah returns to Mystic Falls after the decade dance to make sure that Nik's threat to make the ultimate army doesn't wind up killing Elena. Instead, it winds up with Elena, Klaus, Rebekah, and himself roaming the world. They're a quartet of horror, but the real harm they cause is to each other. Elejah. Klebekah.

* * *

_two_

* * *

To say Klaus is angry about Alaric the Vampire Killer is a supreme understatement. He tears Elena's fridge off of the wall and tosses it through the wall. Elijah apologizes for his behavior, but Elena's not exactly holding it against him. An indestructible original is now walking around with one of Elena's best friend's in tow. Not to mention the fact that Elena is supposed to just walk into his lair without telling anyone. Which technically she didn't do. Elijah and Rebekah overheard, and called Klaus, and are now all sitting in her car with her as she drives to the school.

Klaus is still fuming. He's in the seat behind Elijah and every so often he squeezes the stress ball they found in the back seat. It seems to be helping since he's no longer glaring at Rebekah, who can't stop glaring at him. Elijah's on his phone, texting, who and about what is the question. Elena doesn't ask though. She doesn't want to break the silence and start the yelling up again. Her ears are still ringing from when Klaus first got there.

("What do you mean he's alive? He's supposed to be dead! Can't the Salvatores do anything right!?")

She's not asking. She is just going to drive and save Caroline and they can figure everything else out later.

Hopefully.

...

Three Originals sit in a car outside of a high school. The youngest one won't speak at all, the oldest one won't get off his phone, and the middle one just sort of pouts and huffs. The only thing funny about this situation is that this oddly doesn't revolve around Elena.

Well, not directly. They're lurking in the parking lot because they need somewhere to wait, not because Elena is there. Of course, the fact that Elena is inside definitely accounts for the numerous text messages Elijah's sending off. As yet another one rolls in with a loud beep, Klaus's patience finally reaches its end.

"Would you just stop texting Damon and focus?" Klaus snaps. Both Elijah and Rebekah roll their eyes at his outburst.

Elijah briefly wonders why so many people assume he and Damon are friends. The oldest Salvatore is nothing more than an easy messenger with a short enough temper to keep things moving forward. That does not a friendship make.

"I'm not texting Damon," Elijah says, "It's Abby Bennett. She's on her way with a desiccation spell so that we can stop Alaric quickly and efficiently."

Klaus chuckles sarcastically. "Right, because desiccation spells worked so well in the past. Need I remind you that Mikael woke up?"

Elijah glares at his brother over the edge of his phone. "Actually, do remind me, Niklaus, seeing as no one bothered to bring me in on that little plan to destroy our father. It's not as if my quick thinking led to him being desiccated in the first place, or as if your incompetence led to him being sniffed out and brought back to life." Elijah figures this is the sort of moment where an onlooker would snap their fingers in an overly sassy way. He almost wants to, if only to truly make his brother see what a fool he is.

Klaus's face draws into a tight lipped frown. He mumbles, "I'm not incompetent."

Elijah begs to differ. "You spent so much time antagonizing the people here that they jumped on the first opportunity to ruin you without gaining any knowledge of how potentially dangerous that was. You're the reason Mikael was unleashed, and now you're the reason Alaric is. So forgive me if I am not waiting to find out whatever brilliant plan you're working up on how to fix this issue."

"You cannot talk to me like that. I'm-"

"Reckless. Spontaneous. Foolish. Feel free to cut me off when your meager intelligence picks up on what I'm trying to tell you."

Klaus opens his mouth and a growl comes out.

Before anything else can be said, Rebekah cuts in from the backseat, "Why doesn't everyone just take a breather? Elijah, you can text outside."

He gives her a look. Outside? It's his car. He can't just be sent out of his own car because Klaus is throwing a tantrum.

Her eyebrows narrow, but at the same time, her eyes get a bit more serious, more pleading. Elijah sighs. Fine. If she suspects she can calm their brother down, she can go ahead and try. It's not like they have more important issues to tend to or anything.

...

"Stab the stake through her heart," Ric demands for the third time. In the background, Caroline whimpers. She really should stop that. It's a lot harder for Elena to think when she can hear her best friend in so much pain. Gosh, she can practically hear the vervain entering Caroline's system, singeing away at her insides only for them to be repaired and torn apart again a moment later. Ric's actually a real bastard when he wants to be.

Not that he wants this. None of them do. Now she has to find a way to keep Caroline alive until after Elijah figures out how to fix this. Has anyone told Stefan what's going on? He could help. Maybe. Damnit. She has to find something to do. Her eyes roam the room quickly. Desks, chair, vampire best friend, evil guardian, jar of vervain - wow, she's an idiot.

Ric shoves the stake into Elena's hand, and she glances down at it. She'll only have one strike. One chance. With a slightly shaking hand, she dives for Ric. He catches the stake, but not the vervain, and that's all the chance she needs to get Caroline up and off down the hall.

Elena's running faster than she ever has before. She can see the entrance. So close. They're almost out. They'll make it out. They'll -

"Ah!"

...

"Ugh! Shut up, Rebekah!" Klaus barks. He pushes his head further against the cool glass window of the car. He should have gone outside and left Elijah in here with her. She's insufferable, like a dog after a bone. Rather, like an annoying pest trying to weasel out information that he does not have. He doesn't understand what exactly she's trying to find. First her pestering at home and now her pestering here - what's the point of all of this? Is it supposed to change his mind? If anything, it's making him want to march in there, snatch up Elena, and go without anything or anyone else.

Rebekah opens her mouth, probably to retort with something she finds witty, and he strains for any sign of life to distract himself. He strains and then he hears it - a short scream. Elena's scream. He has the door open quickly, but before his foot can even touch the ground, he sees the flash that he just knows is Elijah.

"You're pathetic!" Klaus screams after him. It doesn't exactly take a genius to realize why Elijah puts so much energy into Elena's well being. The only way he could be more obvious would be to throw his towel into the ring with the Salvatores. Of course Elijah would never do that. He's the good original, the honorable one, and he would never try to earn the affections of a lady already troubled with too many others. It's the same attitude that made Elijah lose woman after woman over the years. The same attitude that Klaus is happily devoid of. He takes what he wants. And currently, he wants an out from his darling little sister.

He turns back towards the car and shoves Rebekah's door back closed. He tells her, "Stay." Then he takes off in the same direction Elijah went.

"Stay?" Rebekah scoffs from the car, "I'm not a dog, Nik!"

He replies by swiftly entering the high school and closing the door behind him. Once he does, darkness surrounds him. Very little light enters the hall when the actual lights are off. He's put off for a second, and that second is long enough for him to nearly miss the approaching figure. Nearly.

He catches the rushing body easily in his arms. The feel of her is familiar, but more from a dream than a memory. He shakes the thoughts of decadent ball gowns and horse drawn carriages away. Neither he nor Caroline have the time for it. Not now.

"It's me," he whispers to soothe her, and it works. She calms. She calms the moment their eyes meet, both glowing slightly in the too dark hallway. "You're safe just run. Run out to the car. Go." He pushes her forward, back towards the way he came. She hesitates for about the blink of an eye. One quick look at him, or perhaps down the hall behind him, and away she goes. He fully intends to follow until he hears Elena's voice again.

"Elijah!"

...

Elijah really should be used to stakes placed against his heart by now. He should be and yet, he's staring at the tip of the indestructible white oak stake and has no idea how to respond. For once, the swift edge will actually kill him. End his thousand year existence. He'd like to say that he doesn't mind. He's lived a long life, certainly a full one. He's seen the great beauties of the world, tasted the finest wines and entrees. He should relish this opportunity to simply fade away, or at the very least to be free of the burden of protecting what feels like the entire world. He should and yet, he can't.

He can't be calm and collected when Elena is gripping onto the lockers on the opposite side of the hall, her face both slightly flushed and as drained of color as it could be after running through the school. She's terrified. More importantly, she's in danger. He cannot be anything when Elena is in danger, except prepared to help her.

Elijah breathes out a light sigh and gazes down at Alaric. "I suppose this is for talking with your ex-girlfriend," he says. It's cheap to mention Jenna. Rude even. Definitely foolish. But it's meant to rile up the hunter, make him sloppy enough where Elijah can free himself. Besides, he's far too tired of no one ever mentioning the woman's existence.

Ric grunts and presses down with the dagger. "You don't get to talk about Jenna."

Elijah asks, "And why not? Because I'm a vampire? You're one too."

Ric does not respond vocally. He merely presses down enough where the sharp end cuts through the thin fabric of Elijah's shirt, now to rest against his chest fully.

"Stop!" Elena shrieks. She moves forward and Ric glares at her. She says, "Stop or I'll... I'll..." Elijah wonders what she plans to do. She does not exactly have a vast arsenal of tricks, and something tells Elijah her usual ones won't work on this man. Elena's eyes widen slightly. An idea. She has an idea. Elijah finds himself growing excited, hopeful. "I'll kill myself." And his hope is gone. Completely and utterly gone.

For someone who claims to be so keen on living, she certainly threatens her suicide easily. Why should Ric care anyway? Her death only means that Niklaus will get angry. His anger would actually probably bring him closer to Ric. It's not exactly a lose on the bad guy's side.

But for some reason, Ric goes ashen at those words. "You can't!" Why can't she? What affect will that have on him?

Elena smirks triumphantly, if not a bit shakily. "I can, and I will. You haven't tried to hurt me. You don't want to. There has to be a reason. Because you need me. That's why Esther took my blood. She linked your vampire life force with mine. You need me alive or you die."

Ric scoffs, but it doesn't have the same spite and strength that he's had throughout the rest of the encounter. Elijah smirks.

He gives Ric a mocking sort of look, "Though, I'm sure Esther created a back up plan for you. She wouldn't let her assassin be so easily killed. I mean, it takes less than a second to snap her neck."

Ric slams Elijah harder against the lockers and presses the stake down, finally breaking flesh. He hisses, "How long does it take to kill you?"

Elijah chuckles. "Not long. What's keeping you? Exhausted from torturing two teenage girls?"

That must be the tipping point for Ric. He growls yet again and raises his stake to strike. And as he does, Elena pushes the knife into her neck. She cries out. First just a scream and then his name. It echoes as the whole world seems to slow and blur. Ric jumps for Elena just as the knife falls from her hands. It clatters to the ground, leaving drops of her blood over bits of chewed gum. She wavers, but it's not Ric's arms that catch her. It's Klaus's. The two brothers share the briefest of glances before they both rush out of the building, leaving the screaming teacher in their wake.

Ric's words chase them. "You're dead!" And Elijah doesn't doubt it. Not one bit.

...

Klaus will be dead the moment Rebekah sees him. She could take her time, but mostly she just wants to rip his head off. She's not entirely sure if it will grow back, and at this point, she really doesn't care. Not only did he run into the school without her, but he sent Caroline out to keep her company. Bloody, blasted Caroline Forbes. Of all the girls who had to be trapped inside with Elena, it had to be the one who her brother was smitten with, the one who had Matt in the palm of her hand, the one who was basically everything Rebekah couldn't seem to be! Damnit.

Rebekah keeps her grip though. She doesn't throttle or even glare at the girl. Much. She merely opens the door and lets Caroline get in the backseat as well. They sit in silence. No talking. It's probably just as well since it looks like Caroline's entire face is festering with pimples from hell and the only things Rebekah can think of are different ways to kill Niklaus. Perhaps she should go inside and give the hunter a few suggestions. At least someone could use them to their advantage.

Rebekah glances over at Caroline, and their eyes meet. It's brief, but apparently enough to get Caroline in a talking mood.

"You're literally the worst, know that?"

And Rebekah groans. Right. She's the problem. Not the hunter, not her mother, not the damn world in an uproar, only Rebekah. She's sick of this attitude, of things only happening to her. She wants to scream about it. She almost does, in fact, until she sees Klaus out of the corner of her eye. He's moving slowly with the damn doppelganger in his arms. Elena's got a hand pressed to her neck, and the scent of her is strong in the air.

Caroline scrambles to get her door open. "Oh my gosh, Elena." Rebekah rolls her eyes. It's not exactly news that Elena's hurt. She's always hurt in some way. They don't need to throw a damn parade every single time she breaks a nail, or gets kidnapped, or goes to a party. It's just life damnit.

Of course Rebekah is the only one to see it that way. Elijah's a legitimate mess when he finally appears. He nearly breaks the handle off the car door as he tries to open it wider for the princess to be easily put inside. He glances up at Rebekah when she doesn't move instantly. She's not sure what to focus on - the rage or the unfiltered fear. Damnit. He really is in love with her.

Caroline shrieks at Rebekah, "Get out the way!"

But Elena speaks up, croakily and softly, but still. "No, I don't want to lie down. Too easy for the blood to pool." She gives a light smile after it. Guess it's a joke. It only makes the fear in Elijah worse. Makes Caroline bounce a bit more on the balls of her feet. Honestly, it seems like Rebekah is the only one capable of thought here.

Rebekah rolls her eyes before bringing her wrist up and sinking her fangs into it. Once blood rises, she holds it out to Elena. Elena stares a moment before leaning as much as her open neck will allow and drinking. She doesn't move much when she drinks. She's calm about it, not like her entire life depends on it. It's another difference between Elena and Katherine. Elena's so much calmer, so much more plain and submissive. How any of her brothers could even think about loving her escapes Rebekah. She doesn't understand what the big deal is about girls in this century. They hardly wear clothes. They obsess over every detail about their appearance. They wine and complain to anyone who will listen (which is practically everyone since there's so many places online to rant and bitch on). Why does anyone like them? (And why don't they like her?)

...

Elena unlatches when she stops feeling blood dribbling down her neck. The heavy taste of copper is still in her mouth. She still feels the pressure of the blade against her skin. How do they do this? How on Earth do all of these guys handle this happening so often? Elena's not even sure if she can handle this just this once. It hasn't even hit her yet. Not fully. She nearly killed herself. To save Elijah. An original, a vampire, a monster.

Only, Elijah isn't a monster. He's been nothing but nice to her for as long as they've known each other. Sure, he's had his moments. Everyone has. Through it though, he's proved that he would never let anyone hurt her. Including himself.

She meets his eyes. Watches as relief starts to show in them. She wants to say that she's fine. She's all better now. Instead, she just turns her body enough to lean back against him. One of his arms rises to hold her in place. It's warmer than it should be, like the first touch of a blanket to her skin. She practically melts at the comfort she knows is coming. The only thing she does before letting sleep claim her is tell Rebekah "thank you."

...

The others watch over her. Not only for the few minutes they spend outside of the school, but for the rest of the day. There's not much else they can do while Bonnie prepares herself for the spell. They take turns with Elena.

First are the Salvatores. They're angry about being left out, but they fall silent the moment they see her. They don't leave for an hour, and even then, they only go to check on Bonnie and keep Jeremy under control.

Caroline takes a turn. She wakes up Elena, accidentally. Neither of them have much to say though. What can they say other than how grateful they are to have gotten out of there? To have the Originals, the same ones that they've been conspiring against, get them out of there.

Klaus pops in. He's not in long, just snatches up Caroline and tells Elena that their road trip will be happening.

Rebekah tries to get Elena moving when she walks in. Says that original blood is a lot more potent than everyone else's. Elena's fine. She doesn't need to be looked after. Immediately following it, though, Rebekah hands Elena a water bottle. When Elena asks why, Rebekah responds, "I'm not like you or your friends. Just because I don't like you doesn't mean I want you to die."

"I don't want you to die," is Elena's instinctive response. She means it. Truly, she does. She doesn't want any of them to die. She only wants everyone to be safe, and with Klaus around, that's just not possible.

Rebekah hesitates. Her eyes fall away to the carpet and then back up to Elena's waiting gaze. To them, she says, "I... I need Nik. More than anyone I've ever needed. So, if you kill my brother, you're killing me too."

That's all she has to say on the subject, and to Elena. She leaves.

The last to visit is Elijah. He comes with no gifts, no mournful glances, only with his hands wedged in his pockets. His jaw is tight, and Elena can practically hear the force it takes for him to open it long enough to say, "I feared I would lose you today."

So did she. She still fears it. She's come so close to death, so many times, and now her best friend has to stop a human heart so that Elena and the rest of these guys can go on living. One life for thousands.

But, if it's one life for thousands, why not hers? Why not her life?

She's thinking aloud when she says it. "You don't have to worry. Never again." She's hardly formulated a plan, hardly even wrapped her head around the idea. But once she says it, it's in the air. The admission is suffocating. Or maybe that's just the sweltering look on Elijah's face.

He begins, "Elena-"

She shakes her head. "I don't know what I'm saying. Ignore me." He doesn't. She can tell by the way his gaze hardens that he won't let it go. Let her go. He steps into the room further.

"Elena, you becoming a vampire would not stop my worrying. It would only increase it. I would worry for your mind and spirit. You were not meant to be a monster."

"Really?" She thinks back to everything she's heard about her ancestors. To the way Katherine tore apart people emotionally before she even began to break them physically. To how the first doppelganger, Tatia, had cursed Elena to this life intertwined with vampires. "I'm pretty sure that's all I'm meant to be. Every doppelganger is another way to either break or continue all of this vampire hybrid stuff. I can't end it. I can't say goodbye to Stefan and Damon and Caroline and you! So why not just go for it and give us all a break?"

It's so simple. If she dies, Alaric dies. If she becomes a vampire, she's not really dead. If she's not really dead, everyone gets to be happy and they can go on living without waiting for the next person out to kill her. She can get over whatever fears she has about being a vampire. She'll deal with it. It's better than dealing with all of this other shit.

She waits for Elijah to say something, but he won't look at her. He stares at the wall behind her head. His teeth grind down against each other. His hands ball into fists that she knows are strong enough to kill with a single punch. She wants to urge him to speak to her, to yell or scold or whatever it is he feels like doing. Klaus speaks up before she has the chance.

Klaus walks into the doorway with his hands open and a smirk on his face. "What a noble idea, Elena. In fact, my thoughts are along the same line." Elijah's head snaps towards Klaus. "Of course, my timeline's a bit different. You're not turning now. You're turning in, say, nine months."

Elijah reacts first. A grumble so low that it's as if it shakes the Earth beneath her feet. "Niklaus."

Klaus lowers his hands placatingly. "Now, now, brother, let's not forget that I'm giving you both what you want - a little taste of humanity. You can see the beauty of life at its finest."

"No." Elena's neck is sore, and it occurs to her then that she's been shaking her head. Shaking it while the two brothers stare each other down. Shaking it while her dreams of the future flash before her eyes before burning around her. "No!"

Klaus turns his stare on her. "Yes. I want hybrids and the hunter dead. So we'll go on our little road trip and make hybrids up until that baby pops out of you. Then I will take the child and kill you myself. Any questions?"


End file.
